Propelling device for type-writer carriages.



J. B. BOWEN.

PROPELLING DEVICE FOR TYPE WRITER CARRIAGE-IS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 24. 1915.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A TTORNEYS J. B. BOWEN.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES: v IIVVEIVTOR Q IZ dsss fl flaw/[M y BM.

A TTOR/VEYS JESSE 'nnnroiv Bowen, or LUMBERTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

rnornnnnve DEVICE Fort TYPE-warren. canal Acres.

Specification of Letters Patent.

7 Application filed March 24, 1915. Serial No. 16,616.

To aZZwk0mz't 1nay concern Be it known that I, Jesse B. BownN, a citizen of the Unitedv States, and aresident of Lumberton, in the county of Robeson and State, of North Carolina, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Propelling Devices for Type-WVriter Carriages, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in propelling devices for typewriter carriages,

and it consists in the combinations, con-' structions, and arrangements herein 7 described and claimed. a

- An object ,of my invention is to provide a device by means of which the carriage may be placed under tension so as to move forwardly in the act of writing, but which may be instantly returned to its original position. 1 I

'A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in which the return ofthe carriage to its original position is effected by means of a spring or similar tension device, thereby returning the carriage always with the same velocity orspeed. V

A further object of my invention is to provide means for returning the carriage to its initial position which: will prevent injury to the carriage due to the, force with which it is ordinarily moved backward to its original position when an operator is trying to writerapidly. A further object of my invention is to provide a novel form of carriage propelling means which is simple in construction and which will not easily get out'of order.

Other objects-and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of thisapplication, in which:

Figure 1 is aside view of. the device asap plied to a typewriter, Fig. 2 is a section along the line 22 of Fig.1, and Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of a portion of the device.

In the following'description I have referred only to the old parts of a typewriter that are necessary in a'clear explanation of the operation of my invention, and in the drawings I have shown only such parts as tend to lend to an understanding of the in-- I ordinary manner, the escapement mechavention. I The mam frame of a typewrlter is indicated at 1. The frame is provided with the usual rail supports 2 bearing the rail 3 upon which the carriage frame 4 is mounted, wheels or rollers 5 being designed to run on the rail" 3. Secured to the carriage frame 4: is an extension 6 bearing a rack 7. The latter is designed to engage a gear 8 mounted on a shaft 9 carried by a suitable support 10, said shaft 9 bearing a gear 11 arranged to mesh'with an arc-shaped'rack member 12, on one end of a bell crank lever 13. The latter is mounted on a fulcrum 1% carried by a bracket 15 secured to the frame 1. This bell crank lever 13 has a'portion 13 at right angles to the part bearing the rack 12, said portion 13 being provided with a slot 13 see Fig. 2.

Referring now to Fig. 2, I have shown therein a key 16 which is mounted on a bell crank lever 17 pivoted at 18 to a part of the opposite end of the lever 22'is provided with a slot 22 arranged to receive a pin 24 carried by a rolling frame or. carriage like that shown in Fig. 3. This carriage consists of a body portion having an opening 25 for the pin 2%, and openings 26 for wheels 27 mounted on shafts 28. The wheels 27 run 7 on the frame 13 as shown in Fig. 2. The

' end of the pin 24 is connected by means of a wire or flexible member 29 with the spring 80, the opposite end of the spring being connected to the frame 1. A spring 31 connects the shaft 20 of the roller 21 with a portion of the frame.

From the foregoing description of the various .parts of the device, the operation thereof may. bereadily understood. Con- 'sider' Fig. 1.

V Thespring 30 .exerts a tension on the pin 24.- and hence on the carriage 25." This tension is communicated to the Patented Dec. 21,1915.

frame portion 13 of the bellcrank lever 13,

so as toetend-to swing'the arc-shaped rack 12'inthe direction indicated by the curved arrow. This tends to turn the gear 11 and also the gear 8 in the directions indicated by their respective arrows, so that the carriage tends to move from the left of Fig. 1 to the right. Now, when a key is depressed in the nism (not shown, but which may be any ordinary escapement mechanism) will permit the carriage to move. When the end of the line is reached, or when it is desired moving the carriage to the opposite end of the frame 13. \Vhen this occurs, the

tension on thespring 30, shown in Fig.1,-

will of course be shifted to the opposite end of the bell crank lever. Since there is'nothing to oppose the return of the carriage,-it will be immediately carried back to its original position. On the release of the key 16, the tension of the spring 19 will cause the key to return. to its original position and the action of the spring 31 will swing the lever22 backwardly, thus moving the carriage 25 to its original position and placing the tension again on the lower end of the bell crank lever as shown in Fig. 1. Now on the operation of the keys, the carriage willv move forward in a step-by-step movement which is of course governed by the escape mechanism not shown.

It will be readily seen that no matter how hard the key 16' may be depressed, the carriage will be returned with a force which is dependent upon the tension of the spring 30, so that instead of slapping the car riage back as so many operators do when they are writing-rapidly, thereby injuring the carriage and the parts associated therewith, the carriage will be brought back quickly but with a constant velocity dependent upon the tension of the spring.

. I claim v 1. The combination with a typewriter fra'me', of a carriage movable thereon, a rack carried by the carriage, a bell crank lever provided. with an arc-shaped rack,

gearing for transmitting the movement of the arc-shaped rack to the first mentioned rack, a spring, and means for shifting the tension of the spring from one portion of said bell crank lever to another, thereby shifting the direction of tension on the car riage. v

2. 'The combination with a typewriter frame, and a'carriage movable thereon, of means for placing saidcarriage under tension in two opposite directions, said means 1 comprising a rack carried by sald carriage,

bell crank lever having an arm provided with an arc-shaped rack, gearing connecting both said racks, a spring, and means including a member slidably associated with said bell crank lever for placing the tension of the spring at difierent portions of the Copies of this patent may be obtained for bell crank lever and thereby shifting the tension on the carriage. V

The combination with atypewriter having a frame, and a carriage movable thereon, of means for placing the carriage under tension in one direction and in the opposite direction at will, said means CQIIIPIlSHIg' a rack mounted on said carriage,a T-shaped bell crank lever fulcrumed on said frame, a

central arm on said bell crank lever being providedw1th an arc-shaped rack, gearmg connecting said arc-shaped rack 'wlth sa1d first mentioned rack, a member slidably associatedwith said bell crank lever and shiftable toeither side of the fulcrum of the 1ever,'and a spring connected with said shiftable member for exerting tension on the latter.

thecentral arm of said bell crank lever being provided with an-arc-shaped rack, gearing connecting said arc-shaped rack with said first mentioned rack, a member slidably associated with said bellcrank lever and sli'dable on either side of the fulcrum of the lever, a spring connected with said slidable member for exerting tension on the latter, and means for shifting said slidable mem her to the opposite sides of the fulcrum of said bell crank lever. I v

The combination with a typewriter. hav-.

ing a frame, and a carriage movable thereon,

of means for placing the carriage under tension in one direction and in the opposite direction at will, said means comprising a rack mounted on said carriage, a T-shaped bell crank lever fulcrumed on said frame, the central arm of said bell crank lever being providedwith an arc-shaped rack, gear ing connecting said arc-shapedrack with said first-mentioned rack, a member slldably associated with said bell crank lever and shiftable to either-side of the fulcrumof the lever,-a spring connected with said sliiftable member for exerting tension on the latter, and means for shifting said shiftable member to theopposite sides of the fulcrum of said bell crank lever, said last named means comprising a key, and a lever operatively connected with said key.

W itnesses:

L. M.- PARKER, J. R. POOLE.

Washington, I). C.

JESSE arron BOWEN. 

